


hug it out

by erintoknow



Series: Aria [13]
Category: Fallen Hero Series - Malin Rydén, Fallen Hero: Rebirth (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Female Friendship, POV Female Character, POV Second Person, Slow Burn, Trans Character, Trans Female Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-13
Updated: 2019-09-13
Packaged: 2020-10-17 09:54:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20619089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/erintoknow/pseuds/erintoknow
Summary: An attack on Ranger HQ forces Sidestep out of her comfort zone





	hug it out

**Author's Note:**

> [[Terrestrial by MODERNS]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVjtrxE4vfw)

You’ve been taking it easy while your leg heals after that close call with Psychopathor. Busying yourself with things to think about that weren’t– Ortega’s hands. On you– pulling you up, pulling you in. Absolutely not thinking about holding her– holding her up. Holding her steady.

It’s bee a weird couple of months and Ortega’s new out-of-nowhere boyfriend didn’t make it any less weird. So it’s a good thing that you’re not thinking about any that, frankly, and it’s offensive of you to even suggest that. Stop it.

You’re thinking about how to fix this damn electric bass when you hear the call go out on the police radio. A direct attack on the Ranger Headquarter’s building. You sit up on the bed to a chorus of creaking rusted springs. That’s… that’s a bold move alright, to just go right for the Rangers like that.

But maybe not as bold as it seems. Middle of the day. Most of the Rangers are either off-duty or out in the city. If you were just looking to trash the place or pick off just one person…

Is Ortega out on patrol or at her desk this time of day?

Can’t recall.

Shit.

Sugar.

Alright.

_Fine_.

You stand up, scan for a place in the abandoned house you can stash your guitar. Give up and just drop it on the mattress. If you’re going to get there in time you’ll need every second.

* * *

The police have already cordoned off the block, flashing lights and yellow crime scene tape. You have to cover your mouth to stop stifle the shock. All the windows on the ground floor have been shattered and the sliding glass doors are just… gone. For a moment the old fear grips you and as soon as you see the police offers milling around outside you want to bolt. Then one of the men sees you, and you can practically feel his mind light up as he waves you over.

It’s not _you_ they recognize, you have to remind yourself. It’s the suit. You haven’t been running with the Rangers for very long but… they’re happy to see you? An unlicensed vigilante? “Sidestep! Thank God you’re here?”

_Wild_.

“Uh–” You cough. Have to play a role here. Sound official. Like you know what you’re doing. Not some stammering child. “Officer! What the heck happened?”

The man, he sounds vaguely South African, shakes his head, a grim expression on his face. “Pennybags.”

You wait for an explanation. “The… bank robber?” He’s been menacing more than just banks, to be fair. But that’s what gets all the headlines. Pennybag’s magnetic powers have been… a challenge to deal with to say the least. For mods like Ortega or Steel especially. You’ve taken it upon yourself to puzzle out an answer. The Rangers always get their man.

“He took down two our guys on his way out.”

“J–jesus.” A knot twists in your gut. “Are– Is everyone okay?”

“Some broken bones.” He winces, rolls his shoulder. “They just left in an ambulance.”

“Where’s everybody else?”

“Anathema and Sergeant Steel are stuck on the other end of the city, and Sentinel…” The man trails off.

You take a step towards him, heart beating against your chest. “What. What about Sentinel?”

“He was on his way back but now he’s out looking for the Marshal.”

“W–what?”

“We can’t find her anywhere and no one’s been able to get in contact with her since the attack started.” The cop extends a hand outwards to the building. “The receptionist? Sarah? Said she came in this morning. But no one saw her leave.”

You stare at the man. In the space of an hour your whole world has been yanked out from under you. _Again_.

“We were actually hoping you might be able to help. I don’t know how you do it Sidestep, but you’ve got a knack for finding people.”

Cross your arms to hide the fact that you’re hugging yourself. A villain successful attacked the Rangers Building and now nobody can find find find her. You _have_ been steadily building a reputation for yourself, working with Anathema and Steel as part of crises response. But it’s easy to find people when you can pick up their thoughts.

You can’t do that with Charge. Ortega. Whatever.

But…

Where is she?

Why hasn’t she checked in?

Is Ortega okay?

“Sidestep?” The police officer is staring at you.

Take a breath. “I’ll see what I can do. Can I… go in?”

The man nods, waves to the rest of the officers, “Let Sidestep though, boys.” It’s not until they respond with a chorus to the effect of ‘sure thing, chief’ that you realize the man you’ve been talking to this whole time is the god damn Chief of Police for Los Diablos.

Oh.

Your stomach does a little backflip.

You manage to disentangle yourself from the conversation with a hurried ‘thank you, goodbye’ before you can embarrass yourself.

The interior doesn’t do much to calm your nerves. Little bits and pieces of metal scattered across the floor, glass shards. The receptionist is staring disapprovingly a painting of some previous marshal that’s been dropped up against the wall. She spots you and breaks into a weak smile. “Sidestep! I’m glad you’re here.”

Again with that???

“H-hi uh,” you hesitate, what was her name? You’ll just pull it from her mind real quick and–

“It’s Sarah, remember?”

Fuck.

“Y-yeah! Sarah! Sorry… I’m kind of… in shock?”

“God. Yeah. I can’t…” She hugs her arms and shudders, a haunted look on her face. “The bastard tore through in a hurry.”

You stand there, incredibly aware of how much you don’t belong in this space. “I’m… I’m glad you’re okay.”

She gives a weak smile, “Thank you. Anything I can help with?”

“I’m… I’m trying to find Charge? No one’s been able to get in touch with her.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t know. She didn’t leave by the front door, that’s for sure.” She gives a helpless shrug. “I’m kind of at a loss myself what to do right now. Do I just… go home?”

“I don’t think think anyone would stop you.” You rub your arm, unsure what to do with the numb distress you both share. “If… if someone does, come get me, I’ll punch them.” She gives you a faint smile. You try to smile back, but whether she can see it under your mask you’re not sure.

You’ve never actually had free reign of the building before, even if you’re worked to build as good a mental map of the place as you can. If Steel were here to see you poking through everyone’s offices he’d lose his mind.

Something you can rub in his face later, maybe.

Break room, conference room, offices… You can tell the path Pennybags cut through the building by the trail of nails and screws pulled out of the walls. Up the stairs, second story, it doesn’t come as a surprise to see the path lead straight towards Ortega’s office. Doesn’t help the weight in your stomach though.

Creek open the door, and your breath catches in your throat. Her office is a disaster. Papers scattered across the floor, the desk turned on the side, bookshelves broken. You keep expecting to turn a corner, look behind some overturned piece of furniture and find her. She’s probably boiling mad. Acting the Ranger’s head of operations in broad daylight? Spit in her face why don’t you.

God. You hope she’s alright.

If she hasn’t left the building yet then where could she be? You lean back against the overturned desk and close your eyes, run through the map in your head. Where have you been already? Relax your mental shields; where can you pick up minds milling around? Maybe…

Are there any gaps in your map?

You wander back out to the stairwell and make your way to the third floor. You’ve never been up this high but there’s never been any need. There’s the roof access and then… The door to the attic storage is unlocked. The lights are already on as you step in. Is that promising? Does it mean anything? The air smells of sawdust and the walls and floor are unfinished.

If Steel finds out you’re up here, he might start foaming at the mouth. You cover your mouth, trying not to giggle. This is… this is serious. Where is Ortega? There’s something off up here and you can’t place your finger on it but it’s making your hair stand on end.

A floorboard creaks as you step past a pile of cardboard boxes and you freeze.

No other sounds.

Pennybags… left right? People saw leave.

He couldn’t have… snuck back in, right? What would be the point of that?

You push past another wall of boxes, eyes adjusting to the dim sodium-yellow lighting of the overhead lightbulbs. Maybe you’ll look into night vision for your next upgrade.

Something in the building shifts and it’s not you.

You freeze in place, straining out for the touch of any other minds but only mange to scoop up idle thoughts from the floors below.

“Ariad– Sidestep?”

You snap your head in the direction of the sound, and there’s Ortega, leaning on a chest-high wall of boxes, with several more opened and scattered around. “What are you doing up here?”

She blinks at you, even in the bad light her eyes look red. Her hair is a mess, a cut across her cheek. “I should be asking you that. You… you know you’re not supposed to be up here.”

You take a step back and rub your shoulder. Why did you even come here? “I.. Everyone’s looking for you, they’re worried.”

“What?” She forces a laugh, “could have just radioed me.”

“They’ve been trying.”

She frowns at that, unclips the walkie-talkie from her ranger suit. It stays silent no matter what combinations of buttons she presses.

“C-Charge, I think it’s–”

“I KNOW IT’S BROKEN!” You shrink back, heartbeat in your ears. Ortega’s expression immediately softens and she drops the radio to the ground. “Mierda… Damnit, Sidestep, I’m sorry.”

You should… you should go. Leave. Get out of here. But–

You don’t move. Instead, pull your mask off, rub at your eyes. “Are you… Ortega, what happened?”

“You already saw,” she waves a hand at the floor, rubs at her face with the other one. She fires off a string of curses in Spanish and kicks the closest box to her causing the whole tower sitting on it to shift slightly. “He tore through this place like I wasn’t even here.”

There’s a pressure behind your eyes and you try to swallow it down. “Ortega, are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Ortega hisses through her teeth. She won’t look at you. “Don’t worry about it.”

You bite your lip, rub your arms. “Liar.”

Fuck, did you just say that?

Ortega looks at you as if she’s thinking the same thing. “He… Mierda, what was the point of stealing it?” She leans across a box for support, hands are balled up in fists, shaking. “I can’t… _why_?”

You take a step towards Ortega, ready for the slightest indication to back off. What… what are you supposed to do in a situation like this? There’s a physical pain in your chest, watching her like this. “Julia…?”

It’s a split-second decision . One you don’t even realize you’ve made until your arm is around her, pulling Ortega towards you into a hug. There’s a passing look of stunned confusion on her face and then she collapses against you, head on your shoulder, pulling the two of your to your knees on the floor.

Feeling stiff, like you’re operating your body from miles away, you put your other arm around her, pat her on the back. “I’m sorry.”

“Ari… I don’t have that much of him left.”

“We’ll… We’ll get it back. I promise.”

The two of you stay like that for a while.


End file.
